I read your whole statement and get it, to a point. In the country here (VT), most kids start learning about firearm safety when they’re five or six. Recently we had two cases of DUI death resulting; case one was a former Burlington police officer who was over the limit for alcohol and killed a man. Second case was a heroin addict who shot up, drove her truck at over 100 mph and took out two folks going to the grocery store. I’ve had so many close calls on the roads, I’ve installed a GoPro and turn it on for every trip we make.
When you turn a corner and someone’s in your lane at a relative closing rate of 100+ mph, you can’t stop, and you sure as hell can’t ‘swerve out of the way’.
The addict who killed two? Sentenced to 2-12 yrs, will likely be released in April at sentencing with time served.
The police officer? Same sentence.
The message? If you want to kill someone in Vermont, get drunk or high and slam into them.
I completely understand your point.
Those kids in the country, learning about guns, is exactly how it should be. My nephews could unload, clear, disassemble, reassemble and function check a Glock, Sig and M4 when they were around 7 or 8.
Your point about the DUIs and speeding...Point taken, but they are exceptions to the thousands that are on the road every day in Vermont. And, one thing all those drivers do, everyday they’re on the road, is drive/practice. If you’re a gun person, then you know that being proficient takes work. Being able to do it under stress is even more work. Of the millions that have purchased this year, I’d be willing to bet that only a small percentage went to the range more that a couple of times. An even smaller percentage went and received actual instruction, whether thru a friend or hired someone.
At the end of the day, I’m all about everyone having one, if they want one, but I’d also love it they actually learned how to use them.